U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Greetings,
We are preparing a Comprehensive Conservation
Plan (CCP) for conservation of natural resources
and public use of the Fish Springs National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Sharing your ideas and
concerns will help us prepare a plan that is
sensitive to your needs.
We are soliciting your input through open houses
to be held in local communities during March 2002
and by the enclosed Issues Workbook. Details are
provided elsewhere in this document. The open
houses will be announced in local newspapers and
on radio. The purpose of the open houses is to let
people know what we are doing and to learn how
people feel about this important conservation area
and how they think it should be managed. If you
are interested in the Fish Springs NWR, we invite
you to participate in this project.
The Refuge staff are also available to meet with
individuals or groups at any time. If you would like
a special presentation to your group, or would like
to make an appointment to meet individually, just
call the Fish Springs office to make arrangements.
We look forward to working with you throughout
this most important planning process.
Sincerely,
Jay Banta
Refuge Manager
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge
Contact: Jay Banta Phone: 435/831-5353
Refuge Manager Fax: 435/831-5354
Address: PO Box 568
Dugway, UT 84022 February 2002
Help Shape the Future of Your National Wildlife Refuge!
Background
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Part of the Department of the Interior, the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service is the only Federal agency
with the specific mandate to conserve the nation’s
fish, wildlife, and plants for the benefit of the
American people.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Mission
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s
mission is, working with others, to
conserve, protect and enhance fish,
wildlife, and plants and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the
American people.
National Wildlife Refuge System
The Service manages the National Wildlife Refuge
System, the largest collection of lands set aside
specifically for the protection of fish and wildlife
populations and habitats. The Refuge System began
in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt
designated a pelican and heron rookery in Florida as
the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. Today,
over 530 national wildlife refuges are spread from
Alaska to Puerto Rico and Maine to Hawaii.
National wildlife refuges provide important habitat
for native plants and many species of mammals,
birds, fish, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. They
also play a vital role in preserving endangered and
threatened species. Refuges offer a wide variety of
recreational opportunities and many have visitor
centers, wildlife-observation trails, and environmental
education programs. Nationwide, more than 30
million visitors annually hunt, fish, observe, and
photograph wildlife or participate in interpretive
activities on refuges.
National Wildlife Refuge System Mission
The mission of the National
Wildlife Refuge System is to
administer a national network of
lands and waters for the
conservation, management, and
where appropriate, restoration of
the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their
habitats within the United States for the benefit of
present and future generations of Americans.
National Wildlife Refuge System
Four Guiding Principles
✓ Habitat. Fish and wildlife will not prosper
without high-quality habitat, and without fish
and wildlife, traditional uses of refuges cannot be
sustained. The Refuge System will continue to
conserve and enhance the quality and diversity of
fish and wildlife habitat within refuges.
✓ Public Use. The Refuge System provides
important opportunities for compatible wildlife-dependent
recreational activities involving
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and
photography, and environmental education and
interpretation.
✓ Partnerships. America’s sportsmen and women
were the first partners who insisted on
protecting valuable wildlife habitat within
wildlife refuges. Conservation partnerships with
other Federal agencies, State agencies, Tribes,
organizations, industry, and the general public
can make significant contributions to the growth
and management of the Refuge System.
✓ Public Involvement. The public should be given a
full and open opportunity to participate in
decisions regarding acquisition and management
of our national wildlife refuges.
Fish Springs NWR Background
Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge was approved
under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act by the
Migratory Bird Conservation Commission in 1958 to
preserve critical habitat for nesting and migrating
birds. The 10,000 acres of Refuge wetlands are a
major migration point for wetland birds migrating to
and from the Great Salt Lake, 75 miles to the north.
These wetlands are formed by a series of thermal
springs that arise from a fault line at the base of the
east slope of the Fish Springs Range and comprise a
greater acreage than all of the wetlands combined in
all cardinal directions for a distance of over 40 miles.
As such, it provides a critical migration habitat for a
diverse array of wetland birds. Located on the
eastern edge of the Pacific Flyway, it receives
waterfowl from the Canadian Arctic and several
Prairie Provinces as well as birds produced in Idaho,
Montana, Wyoming, and Utah.
The Fish Springs NWR Planning Process
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is required to
manage all refuges in accordance with an approved
Comprehensive Conservation Plan, which, when
implemented, will achieve refuge purposes; help
fulfill the Refuge System mission; maintain and,
where appropriate, restore the ecological integrity of
each refuge and the Refuge System; help achieve the
goals of the National Wilderness Preservation
System; and meet other mandates. The CCP will
guide management decisions and set forth goals,
objectives, and strategies to accomplish these ends.
Step-down management plans may also be required
to provide additional details about meeting CCP
goals and objectives and to describe strategies and
implementation schedules. Each plan will be founded
on principles of sound fish and wildlife management
and available science, and be consistent with legal
mandates and other Service policies, guidelines, and
planning documents. The Service will prepare refuge
plans that, above all else, ensure that WILDLIFE
COMES FIRST on national wildlife refuges.
Want to Get Involved?
To gather as much public input and to reach as many
people as possible, the Fish Springs National
Wildlife Refuge staff has developed several
opportunities for your participation.
Open Houses
We are conducting two Open Houses, as follows:
✷ Tuesday, March 12 - 6 pm to 8 pm
Sweet Branch
Salt Lake City Public Library
455 F Street
Salt Lake City, Utah
✷ Wednesday, March 13 - 6 pm to 7 pm
West Desert School
Partoun, Utah
These Open Houses will be announced in local
newspapers and on radio.
Issues Workbooks
You may also get involved by completing the
attached Issues Workbook.
Fish Springs NWR Planning Project Issues Workbook
Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Project 1
Issues Workbook
The workbook is provided to everyone on our mailing list and anyone who attends an open
house. Additional copies will be kept at Refuge headquarters for distribution by request.
Read through each of the sections and jot down your thoughts. Let us know what issues you
would like to see addressed in the CCP and any additional thoughts or concerns you may have.
Your responses to these questions will help us better understand our constituents and public
opinion and guide the planning process. All of the comments we receive, by whatever means,
will be considered in the preparation of the CCP. However, in order to be most helpful, please
provide comments and return the Issues Workbook by March 31, 2002.
After you have completed the workbook, simply fold it in half (with the pre-addressed return
mailer on the outside), tape it together (do not staple), affix the proper postage, and drop it in
the mail. Thanks for your help; we really appreciate it. If you have any questions or would like
more information about this project, please call Fish Springs NWR at 435/831 5353.
Fish Springs NWR Planning Project Issues Workbook
2 Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Project
1. What makes Fish Springs NWR special or unique for you? What do you like about it?
2. For what reasons have you visited Fish Springs NWR, and what was of most interest to
you?
Fish Springs NWR Planning Project Issues Workbook
Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Project 3
3. Are there any issues you would like to see addressed in the plan, from either a conservation
of natural resources point of view, or from a public use point of view?
4. What improvements would you recommend for Fish Springs NWR?
Fish Springs NWR Planning Project Issues Workbook
4 Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Project
5. Any additional thoughts, suggestions, or comments that you would like to share with us?
6. In what town and state do you reside?_________________________
Important!
Would you like to be on our Mailing list?
In order to place your name and address on our CCP mailing list, we must have your written
permission. This is because Federal government mailing lists must be released to the public
upon request under the Freedom of Information Act. If you wish to receive future information
about the Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning
Project, please fill in the information requested below and return this form to the following
address. (If you have already completed one of these forms you do not need to fill out another
one.) If you are returning a completed Issues Workbook, you may return this form with it.
Return to: Fish Springs NWR Planning Project
Division of Refuge Planning
PO Box 25486, DFC
Denver, CO 80225-0486
Yes, I wish to be on the mailing list to receive future information about the Fish Springs
National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Project. I understand that
names and addresses on federal mailing lists must be released to the public upon request, under
provisions of the Freedom of Information Act of 1974.
Signature: ___________________________________________ Date: __________________________
First Name: ________________________________ Last Name: _____________________________
Mailing Address: ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
City: ________________________________ State: ______________________________
Zip Code: ________________________________
If you are acting in an official capacity as the representative of an organization, please complete
the following two items:
Organization: ________________________________________________________________________
Title: _______________________________________________________________________________
Please return the Issues Workbook and the authorization if you would like to be on the CCP mailing list. Then
fold here, tape the two halves together, affix postage, and drop in the mail.
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_________________________ Place
Stamp
_________________________ Here
_________________________
_________________________
Fish Springs NWR Planning Project
Division of Refuge Planning
PO Box 25486, DFC
Denver, CO 80225-0486
